Steve Stricker in 2010
The field for the Northern Trust Open has been finalised and will include some of the biggest names on the PGA TOUR.
Defending champion Steve Stricker comes to Riviera with hopes of becoming the third player since 2003 to win back-to-back titles at the event.
Joining Stricker in the field will be two-time Northern Trust Open champion Phil Mickelson, who claimed consecutive titles at Riviera in 2008-09. Mickelson, the No. 4 ranked player in the world, will be making his 13th career appearance at the Northern Trust Open and another win would put him in the company of Ben Hogan (3), Arnold Palmer (3), Lloyd Mangrum (4) and MacDonald Smith (4) as the only players to win the tournament three or more times.
Stricker returns to Riviera coming off another solid year on the PGA TOUR in 2010, capturing the John Deere Classic in July in addition to his victory at the Northern Trust Open. His five victories on the PGA TOUR since the start of the 2009 season trail only Tiger Woods' six during that span and he leads the TOUR with 25 consecutive cuts made. Stricker recorded top 10s in his only two starts on the PGA TOUR so far in 2011, posting a T4 at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and a T9 at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Joining them in the field is 1999 Northern Trust Open champion Ernie Els, the No. 11 ranked player in the world and 18-time PGA TOUR winner. In addition to his victory in 1999, Els posted top 10s in 2007 (T3) and 2010 (T10). He enjoyed a resurgent 2010 campaign, winning the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.
Fan favourite and two-time champion (1990, 1992) Fred Couples returns to Riviera to play his 29th Northern Trust Open in 2011. Couples has compiled an amazing record at the tournament, which includes 26 made cuts, 19 top-25 finishes and 13 top-10 finishes. He posted a T3 in 2009, two shots off Mickelson's winning pace. In his first season on the Champions Tour in 2010, Couples won four times and was named Rookie of the Year. He captained the U.S. Presidents Cup Team to victory in 2009 and reprise that role again in November when the matches return to Royal Melbourne.
Japan's Ryo Ishikawa returns to the site of his first PGA TOUR start and will compete in the Northern Trust Open after receiving a Commissioner's Foreign Exemption for the third-consecutive year. A member of the 2009 International Presidents Cup Team, Ishikawa missed the cut at the Northern Trust Open in 2009 and finished T32 in 2010. He has won nine times on the Japan Golf Tour and posted his first top 10 on the PGA TOUR at the 2010 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship (T9).
Other notable players in the field include 2010 FedExCup champion Jim Furyk, defending British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, three-time major champion Padraig Harrington, former No. 1 Vijay Singh, FedExCup leader Mark Wilson and PGA TOUR rookie Jhonattan Vegas.
The 2011 Northern Trust Open field includes 23 major championship winners with 34 major titles. There are 10 former Northern Trust Open Champions in the field.
"We are thrilled with the field for this year's event. There is a wonderful mix of some of the game's biggest stars as well as some of golf's best young talent," said Executive Director Jerry West. "I encourage fans throughout Southern California to come out to Riviera Country Club and enjoy the tournament. With their support, we can continue a great tradition of giving through charitable contributions to the greater Los Angeles community."
